Deputy, Shot In Line Of Duty, Tells His Story

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LAURINBURG — A Scotland County deputy is truly lucky his name is not going up on a monument this year. Last month, he was shot three times during a chase. Fortunately, he lived. Now he is telling his story for the first time.

"Every day I get looks different. I accept it differently. Everything's important today," he says.

Maj. Dan Skamperle does not take life for granted anymore. Not after what he and his family went through.

"I think we got closer and for that, I'm very appreciative," he says.

On April 2, the Scotland County officer got into a high speed chase with two burglary suspects.

The 54-year-old says they shot at him. To get them to stop, he rammed their jeep into a store. The wreck jammed his door shut, and he could not get out. That is when he says the suspects shot him at close range.

"My opinion was they were there to kill me," he says.

The 29-year law enforcement veteran was shot three times.

"I had to do what I could to stay alive. With a little bit of help from the man upstairs, I survived."

A steel rod now holds a fractured bone in his leg together. He also has pins in his shoulder.

Getting around these days is a challenge. He simply has to wait for his bones to heal.

It's now a complete changeover," he says. "As busy as I was basically, now I do very little."

Skamperle is scheduled to retire Dec. 1. He had hoped to return to the sheriff's office before his retirement, but now his recovery will take longer than that. He was hoping to start a new job shortly after he retires, but everything is now up in the air.

A fund has been set up to try and help Skamperle's family pay for his children's college educations. This is because he won't be able to return to work before his retirement.

Here is the information for the fund.
The Skamperle Boy's Scholarship Fund
First Bank, PO Box 1544,
Laurinburg, NC 28353